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The mollycoddled coders of Silicon Valley may soon learn that there really is no such thing as a free lunch.

California’s technology companies have a reputation for dangling treats before their employees. Google, a pioneer in such perks, offers free haircuts and subsidised massages along with the chance to play football, table-tennis and billiards.

The offices of Yelp, a reviews site, offers an array of beers on tap — in kegs with built-in iPads giving information on each brew. Scribd, a digital documents library, transforms its headquarters into a go-cart track every evening. Airbnb, a holiday home rentals website, has run